Like a cat in a cage
by Hazentley
Summary: (chap 2 is up) Jace and Maxie are recaptured by Manticore but after a while Jace is disappeared; will Maxie find her mother and can Maxie keep up her fight against the Manticore regime? (work in progress) Please read & review!
1. Default Chapter

Author: Genetic Enhanced Us / Hazentley

Title: Like a Cat in a Cage

Summary: Jace never made it to Mexico's freedom and back in Manticore she reflects on her moments of freedom. 

Reviews: Yes, please!!!!

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on Dark Angel but I don't own the show and I'm not responsible for the cancellation. 

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Like a Cat in a Cage

Chapter 1: Reflections

I'm tight down to a white bed and the room looks sterile and empty to me. The ceiling is covered with spots and I stare at them. It's true, I'm back, I realize. Back in a iron cage with one big difference; now I know I'm in a cage... It almost felt like being free, really free; when I sat on the bus to Mexico; my belly groaned and I could do nothing more then grin. I thought I was safe at that moment, I thought that my baby didn't have to relive my life. However, I was wrong.

Yes, I found a hiding place in Mexico; yes, I got a job as a waitress; and yes, I was happy and pregnant. I delivered from a healthy baby-girl, her eyes just as dark as mine. But one day, when I went back home I couldn't find my neighbor; who was supposed to watch over little Maxie. First I screamed, then I yelled and cried; but none of it helped me and I knew one thing. I'd rather killed myself then letting Lydecker hurt my little Maxie. The traces were easy, I knew it was a trap though I didn't care; my first priority was Maxie.

I found Lydecker in a room covered with military soldiers from Manticore; their guns were pointing to me. But Maxie was there too, she was laying on a bed, Lydecker sat next to her with in his left hand a gun. He smiled and I turned myself in. I knew that Lydecker had killed Eva so I knew he should kill Maxie, if I didn't turn myself in. 

They took me back to Manticore. The first thing that happened was that Lydecker interrogated me, you could say that he tortured me for info on the other X5's. Though I knew nothing I also knew that I would never ever betrayal them. So I got several sessions of torture until Lydecker realized that I really didn't know anything. So he locked me up in this white room. 

I waited, I 'm hungry; they didn't feed me for about a week now and I became to weaken. I waited so long for more torturing, training programs and simplifications, but nothing happened. They just kept me tight down there. However, I think after two weeks and no food, Lydecker came inside with Maxie in his arms; her head shaven; her dark eyes filled with a shadow of pain. "What's your decision, soldier?"

I gasped and replied: "I failed and I'm sorry sir."

But that didn't satisfied him. "You didn't fail soldier; you betrayed Manticore, your duty as a soldier and though I would punish you way harder; Madame X wants you back in the program." After that he left the room and I was released by another X5 who guided me to the training where I was supposed to start with immediately. 

So I kicked, I fought, I trained harder then ever; knowing that every mistake from my side could infect Maxie. Sometimes, during the trainings I believed I could see her with three other little kids, but I suppose it was just a daydream. 

It brings me to where I am now; captured in cage like a bird, accept I have feline DNA and my child is captured too. I will leave, with Maxie but not now; they're watching me too close... I have to persuade them that I'm loyal so I get back more of my freedom, if you can call it that. Then, when I can move easier around in Manticore; I'll take Maxie -I know exactly where she is now- and we'll vanish into the night. I just hope I'm not waiting too long... I hope that Maxie can hold on a little while longer... I'm so afraid of what they do to her... So damn scared!


	2. Chapter 2: Cry in the dark

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Chapter 2: Cry in the dark

2027, Headquarters of Manticore

NOTE: _in this story Manticore was never burned to the ground and Lydecker is still in charge of his duty as Manticore Colonel. _

With a pale face, the X9 was laying on the bed, the head shaven; cold and quiet. Her eyes were open; following every move in the room. The gaze in her eyes was filled without emotion; a brave little girl with dark eyes. Her muscles were trained and strong; her head was overwhelmed with words such like 'loyalty, duty, know your enemy', and other sorts of things. She had no idea that what was happening to her was _really wrong_. That she was an _innocent child _who was abused by a secret agency, how could she know? Or did she?

Lydecker was waiting outside while the girl was forced to undergo a new series of tests; they were designed to mark the amount of emotions on the subject and if possible; it could be used as a tool to take away human emotions. He knew the tests results already; this X9 was doing well and there didn't seem to be any reason to simplify her or to take away emotions; X9-734 was on schedule and on of the best X9's in the X9 series.

When the doctor opened the door, Lydecker was able to sense some sort of relieve; she reported exactly what Lydecker had hoped for; X9-734, the offspring of his escapee Jace was doing very well for a mixed DNA subject. He nodded and the X9 was taken back to the barracks. In the meantime, Lydecker thought about the escape of Jace; he knew he shouldn't think of her as Jace but as a X5 but he couldn't; she was one of his kids.

It was nearly three years ago now. Jace had showed signs of total integration of the project and she was back on duty again; she'd done a few assignments and she hadn't failed. But then, when she was send out to cancel one the escaped subjects from the basement, she didn't return; neither did the X2 and though Lydecker had started a huge search with X7's on the loose... He never found a trace of the basement transgenic or Jace. Lydecker was surprised; not about the fact that Jace had been able to play along but about the fact she had abandoned her offspring. Not that he was bothered by it, he couldn't find the reason why Jace left without taking her daughter. Not that Jace would have had the chance to walk in to the barracks and take her daughter with her... But Lydecker had figured that Jace would come back for a rescue mission on her daughter. But no Jace was sighed anywhere; and Lydecker wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing...

In the barracks, Maxie relaxed her muscles; she had 5 minutes to prepare for another training. She was tired, not physically but mentally; her strong headed idea's of freedom, which she had heard from another X9 who was also brought back in, began to bow under the huge metal pressure. She knew her mother was out there; she knew she wasn't a good soldier like Case or Nancy; they were much stronger but for now Lydecker didn't seem to be unsatisfied about her and Maxie wanted to keep it that way. Once again she had past through the tests; she had locked her mind and it worked again; the results showed that she didn't had any unneeded human emotions and she appeared to be loyal. But all of that was a game and Maxie knew it was a dangerous game; if she'd lose she would lose not only her last hope but also her last strength to fight Manticore.

Case, one of the other X9's was brought in when Maxie was about three years old but from the beginning he had watched over her and he had told her stories about his mother, who he could still remember. He'd also told stories about her mother but she doubted about how true they were, he'd never met her mother. He'd seen Jace a couple of times and those times he came up with huge stories and though Maxie didn't believe all of them, she wished they were true and she wanted to believe it so she did. Case had told that her mother was a fighter, just like his mother and that she would take both of them out... One day. So both Maxie and Case kept dreaming about being free, whatever that exactly was... And it was the only thing that prevented them from becoming real soldiers. Their bodies might be soldiers but their minds were human and Maxie was glad she could take that as a fact. But is became harder and harder every day to play along and then there were to other things she was bothered about; she and Case hadn't seen her mother in years and now, since two months, Case was transferred to another part of the training center and Maxie was afraid that they had found out about him being less a soldier the planned... So she was scared. But before she could come up with the most horrible idea's of what happened to Case, she was ordered to join the training and of course; she obeyed. 


End file.
